The Real Deal New York

Department of Buildings’ office building is crumbling

NYC’s Department of Buildings might want to give itself a call. For a more than a decade the historic building that houses the DOB has been allowed to crumble, resulting in semi-permanent sidewalk sheds and the closure of part of the building.

Built in 1846, the city-owned landmark at 280 Broadway is known for its clock from the days the old New York Sun newspaper called the building home. Today, it is home to the DOB and a crumbling exterior. Last month, a concrete slab fell from the building, forcing a parking garage beneath the building to close. And back in 2011, the city added scaffolding that is still in place today, according to the New York Post.

“It’s horrible and it’s dangerous,” a food-cart operator who works on the block told the Post.

“Yes, we get the irony,” DOB spokesman Alexander Schnell told the Post. “But in many ways DOB is just like any other tenant in the city. We have no construction crews of our own, so we need our landlord to repair the building.”

When the parking garage ceiling collapsed last month, “we handled it like any other building complaint,” he added. [NYP] –Christopher Cameron